I lx' Austruliatt Rird lJtttuler lune, 1966 Observations on Anting hy an Indian Myna A. S. CARTER Thc authtrrreports his own observationof antingby an Indian Myna (Acridotheres //'i,rtrr). He thcn discussesthis curioushabit, with somerefercnce to the Australianlitera- turc on thc subicctand to someof thc theoriesadvanced to accountfor it. On Sundal. Januarl lT. 1965. I observcdan punishnlcntrathcr thrn cngagingin an cnjoyablc lndi n Myna lnting. lhc timc was approximatcly pastimc. 6.30 1r.nr.ancl tlrc birtl continucdtnting for sQmc Somc thcorics rcfcr to thc usc ol thc ants' scvcn or ciglrt nrinutc's.As this particular activity lormic acid as ln insecticidc to combat ccto- of birds is n()t observcdcvcrl dal perhapsa fcw parasitcs;as thcsc birtls arc rcputcd to carry such thoughls on llrc \Lrbjcctarc in ordcr. The lndian ''boardcrs'. and as I havc rcccntly obscrvcd the Mvna rvas one ol thc lirst birds to be obscryed sanrcspccics ncsting in thc arca, it could possibly in thi\ counlr! to r'ngagr'inthis somcwhatstrange "-fhc be that this particular bird was trying to rid itsclf bchaviour.A. H. Chisholm in his paper of someanrroying agcnt by this mcthod. Hislorv Qi Anting" (Crlr, 1959) has sct down ((irl- :rn Australianbibliographl which quotcs lcttcrs H. A. Salmorr.obscrving a Grcy Thrush to thL' Mclbournc ;1rgrrIclateri April 27 and May LuricinStarling (Slrirrrrrrlrr/garl.r') in 1927 and again in hc noticcd that thc bircl rtc thc iLnts. 193-1wht'n ir letle r f r()m l Mclbournc bo1 (April I did not collc'ctanv ol thc ants being uscd by l) Jrrnitr,4rgil.f ) prompted A. H. Chisholm to the Myna but I was close cnough (about 8 rclcr to a Srrincr mlrn s r!-port oI sevcn )cars lcet abovethc bird and l0Icct to thc sidc) to scc crrrlicrirnd to \ugg('slthal thc curiouspracticc" thiLt thc ants rcscmblcd thc brown and black nccdctlinvt'stigatins. Sugarant rvhichis plcntilulin thc district. Sinccthcsc cirrll nolcs.mLrch has hcenwrittcn Thc list of speciesknown to ant thcmsclvcsis rcgarclingthc practicc both hcrc and overscas; a long onc: ('hisholnrrelcrs 10 scvcn introduccd birds havc bccn phototrlphccl rlhilc e'ngrgcdin irnd twcnt\ Austriilian nativc spccicsin "1'hc tlrc itct irnd vurious thcorie'sils to wh\ thev act Historvol Anting . rnd K. E. L. Sinrmonsin his rn ve "Anting 'Ihcrcll)i\ nrirnn(r lli h,..rr pr,'p,,rrrrd.|.l. rcvicw of thc Bchaviour of Pusscrinc arc tuo btisicnrcthods ol anting.tctivc llirds' rccords rt lcast 7.1 spccics Ironr various irnclpassivc. Acti\c itntinu occurs *'hcn a bird countrics.lt is rcmarkablcthat not only ants itrc picksup an ant and lpplics it to bod) or leathcrs. ttscd its mctliums. li)r instanccsarc on rccord of anti prrssircanting whcn thc bird squatsamong birtls using mothballs. tobilcco ash. lishted cig- lhc lnt\:rnd irllowsthcnr to crawlctvcr antl thntugh lu-cttcs.cigar stubs. snliill lintcs. varrous rnsccts. ils lr:athcrs.In activcanting. obscrvlttions indicatc hot ch()colrtc. soap-suds lrnd pungcnt-smcllinc Illrl thc antsarc irIplicclcilhcr 1()thc rvings,botly bu-qs.all ls quot.d br Simntons:antl bces. or !cnlriil itfcl. In s()macascs lhc ants ltrc catcn bc'c1lcs.nrillipedcs. lrontatic lcavcs. grass-trcc irltcr applicit1i()nrvhcrcirs in othcrs thc crushcd lragnrcnlsas recordcd bv ('hisholm. C'ertain brxlicsarc lcft \cattcfcdin tlle trca in which thc Itrrike-cls( 7)-lr/l.rr,1().\!l/\ spp) havc bc'cnobscrvcd rclion ha\ takcn placc. to chcw cucala-ptshoots and applvthe oil thusob- Ml obscrlitlion wirsol lctivc lntin{. Thc bird trincdto theirIcathcrs. Choughs \(rtrtttrax me[ur "dustinq" piclctl up thc ant and applicdit tcrthc undersidc rtltttttltltrts)cngarc in thc habit of but ol thc wings.otrlr ntoringthc anl alongthe radius,/ ll\c thc du\t lrl lirncsilt it manncrsinrilar to thc ulna lrom thc c\tremiticsin towardsrhc bodv. lnlinr action nf othcr birds.althorrgh thcy havc llt(r (h\,,unl! th, irnt.Al tht.mrrnrcnt qr1 1ppil be-crrrccorclcd using lnts as rvcll. Of coursc, dust- cirtion thc bird.!nga-[cdin sontcerratic daniing balhing is prlctiscd bv many spccicsand is so nt,'\unr(nt.. \ltich \LttFL\l(rllhlll th(rc t!i,\ \)nti c,,n)rnr)nnlirc!ir\ I.,l I hi rr.tirrtlcdwhich mrry ('l\,1'nll'\ll t rll( It wlr. lrr llrlu!.111;,. h. lrrijClir(. _irfrt\ ir. llt( lir\\i\i l('rn),,1inrinl.e,'trld ver] hirrl uas undertakinsa lirrm oi sclf-inllictc(l rvcll bc involvedin mlrnl instances.

30 1966 7'lte A ustraliun IiirJ Banler lune,

usc the ants Thc practicc of anting still remains as a rarcly to confirm the theory that the birds rccordcd occurrcncc,although from the numbers to combat ectoparasltes. of birds known to ant it is obvious that many Acknowledgemcnts my thanks to Mr' K A instanccsmust pass unobserved,or, if obscrved' t would likc to cxprcss his lile on anting' thcn thc watchcr, being unaware that ants arc Hindwood who made aYailablc probably had to spend usctl. does not rcalise the significance of the without which I would have quc:'t lbr pasl rccrrrds' ond actions. ntunt wecks in thc Mr.'A. H. ( hisholm who rtrd thc mJnuscripl mav possiblybe able to shedsome and made hclpful suggcstton. Bird-bandcrs "why light on lhc much-discussedqucstion. do BibliograPhY (1959), lhe History of Anling ['rlr' bir.l. lnt.' il trrppcd bird\ rrc examincd [or Chisholm. A. H. 59:l0l-110. cctoparasitcs,ctc. An indication of what may bc (1960). I-urlhcr Nolcs on Anlin8-' 'antcd" Chisholm. A. H. lclrnt from having birds captured and Erlr,60il.ll-ll'l bc secn from notes publishcd in Chisholm, A. H. (19'1'1) Ihe Pfoblcm of Anting ' cxamincd. can ,l{)5. Bulletin, April, 1963.on rcmarksmadc ,trr.r. ti6:189 thc l///srrr Kel\o. l-.. and Nice. l\1. Nl. (196f1. Wil\ott Bttllttitt bv Dr. V. B. Dubinin, a Russian parasitologist 75:21-16(revicwed in C,rrl. 6'1:751 who dicd in 1958. on the clTectof formic acid on Salnron.A. ll. (1961). Anting bv Ci|e1 l-hlrrsh' Errttt Four pipits which had bcen anting 6 l :1.11. fcathcr mitcs. (1961) Anling b\ Mtrdlark E/'rl that of a total Srlnx)n. A. H. wcrc collcctcd and it was found 6l:98. (he of 732 mitcs. 7O werc deatl and 163 dicd within Simmons. K. F. L (19-s7). A Review ol Anting I2 hours. Four ()thcr non-anting piPits wert iierlnt,iour"t Pas\erineBitds . ,t""'"U'1"{.i|ir2'r, and of a total of 758 mitcs only fivc died collectcd Ilul N .S-W' rvithin thc samc pcriod. Thcsc obscrvationstend Ovster ,

An Unusual Superb Blue Wren RetraP attu ()n lcsi thun Thc scdcntarv hxbits of thc Superb Blue Wren :Dccic\ lll\ hcin sccn itt the one hird ha: becn birndcd lMulurus